


Communication Issues

by Thebrokentardis



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Established Relationship, I Love You, M/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:00:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25713949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thebrokentardis/pseuds/Thebrokentardis
Summary: “Edward Eric is in love with Roy Mustang.” He thought to himself over and over again. He’s not sure if Roy is in love with him, though. Fuck.
Relationships: Edward Elric/Roy Mustang
Comments: 9
Kudos: 97





	Communication Issues

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, this is the first thing I've written since an english paper in highs school, so I know it's not going to be great, but I'll be very grateful for constructive criticism I can use to do better! thanks! (ps if anyone ever wants to beta for me for any future projects, I'd be so happy)

Ed looks at the clock and sees that it’s time for Roy’s shift to end in less than 10 minutes, so he start to clean up his cocoon he’s created at the library during the day. More often than not Roy won’t leave on time, so Ed beats him home and is making dinner by the time Roy gets there. Well. It’s not _his_ home, its Roy’s home technically. Ed still has an apartment that he’s paying rent for. And hasn’t been to in over 3 weeks.

Whatever, he’s starts walking home. It’s a nice day, sun shining. Too bad it’s about to be fucking ruined. He has to have a _talk_ with Roy about their _relationship_ and he wants to fucking _die because of it._

They started, not really dating cause that would require something as formal as a date, so something more just like, being together, or whatever a few months ago. Ed refused go to stupid dinners and waste time doing things they both didn’t really want to for the sake of being _polite_.

Ed heads up the small walkway to the front door and opens the door after minor difficulty with the lock. It’s nice that they spend most of their time reading, or complaining, or in bed, or _in bed_ , but then he realizes he’s fucked because he has no clue how Roy feels.

He turns on the lights in the hall from the front door that lead to the kitchen and living room. Off from the living room there’s a library, and a set of stairs that lead to two bedrooms (the main, and a guest) and a bathroom. He hangs right to go to the kitchen. Food. Before this conversation. Food is necessary.

He starts making some pasta that is going to be awesome, and stress free, and great. Ed sighs heavily. He really needs this day to meet its terrible end.

After a while (he’s a terrible judge of time) he hears the door open. Roy walks in a few moments later in his uniform sans boots, which were left by the door. Roy looks him up and down and smiles tiredly, “What’s for dinner?”

Ed isn’t sure how to bring up the fact that he needs to talk with him, but he knows when he’s half dead from just working for 12 hours isn’t the time. “Who says it’s for you? I’m making me some delicious pasta though.” he sasses, because no matter how tired Roy is he isn’t getting away from Ed’s “charm”.

Roy leans against the doorway and with wolfish grin, before putting on an exaggerated surprised face, “In my own home…! Edward Elric… I cannot be _lieve_ you’ve done such a thing as make food with my own ingredients and then leave me, your ELDER! To starve!” while saying all this Roy has clutched his own hand to his chest dramatically.

Ed has turned away from the pasta to watch his performance and when he’s done speaking, stares at him for a moment and then says, “Yeah, you’re my elder all right. Is that a gray hair?”

Roy laughs lightly at this, grabs Ed’s closest hand, tugs him closer and kisses him chastely. They’re standing almost toe to toe now, and Ed is only about 2 inches shorter than Roy now, although he still has a smaller frame.

“If you don’t need any help finishing dinner I’m going to have a quick shower so I don’t still feel like I’m at work, I’ll just be a few minutes.”

“I’m fine, Bastard.” Edward said with a slight blush on his face. Roy really would stay and help finish dinner even though he looked half dead. He insisted whenever Ed seemed stressed, so he has to do an excellent job of hiding it right now. Just right now. “I’m not going to promise to never set your house on fire, but I think I can manage to not do it until dinner is over.”

Roy snorts at that and heads up the stairs. Ed thinks about how he doesn’t need more alone time to think about everything. Ed knows he’s in love. When it occurred to him he accepted it, like a fact, like all the other things he has had to accept in his life. Like alchemy, and then living without it, there wasn’t anything about to fight.

“Edward Eric is in love with Roy Mustang.” He thought to himself over and over again. He’s not sure if Roy is in love with him, though. Fuck.

He’s not good with picking up on other people’s feelings, especially when he _wants_ to know about a specific feeling. Especially if he wants to know if _Roy’s_ specific feelings. He hates this. Feelings suck.

Except they don’t because if Roy is actually, possibly, maybe in love with him too than everything will actually be super awesome and these feelings will be super worth it. It’s just the figuring that out that’s hard. So he’s going to talk to Roy about it. And about their relationship. Because Ed prefers to do things diving headfirst, no bullshit.

Usually the no-bullshit thing works out well for them though. Roy is sick of dealing with people bullshitting all day at work, and Ed is fully incapable of saying anything he doesn’t mean. He is maybe-kinda getting the hang of tact, but slowly. Its work in progress.

How is he going to approach this though? “Hi? How do you like dinner? Do you love me too or fucking what?” Some people make a big deal out of saying “I love you” he thinks that’s very not either of their style at all. With what they’ve been through they make sure everyone is aware of how much they care, as often as possible.

Also it’s not particularly bad if Roy isn’t in love with him. They started this not-dating, this whatever. Co-existing. Cause its comfortable. And he is comfortable. Now he’s just worried he’s going to ruin it. It’s not like he can’t not say anything though. That would be worse. He’s not an idiot. He’s almost positive about that.

Ed starts wishing Al were here to give him advice, but he in Xing, and letters take forever, and he’s probably going to flip out when he finds out about this whole relationship anyways. Him, Mei and their ten fucking cats that they pretend they own separately but they totally co-own. Maybe he should’ve waited two months for Al to come home and had him tell Ed what to do. Ed sighs to himself.

He finishes up dinner and starts to put everything on plates when he hears Roy again. “That looks beautifully done! Absolutely wonderful, darling!”

“Geez, I didn’t realize you were born with vocabulary from the 60s” Ed replies as he starts bring the plates over to the dinner table. Well I guess it’s technically the kitchen table, since it’s right off from the kitchen, and only seats around three or four people. The full dining room is a separate space off of the living room, but they don’t eat there, and Roy only does if he has military guests.

“Am I not allowed to praise my beautiful housewife?” Roy said, grinning.

Ed’s face twists into horror, “Absolutely 100% not allowed to ever call me that again, no exceptions, no returns, no refunds!”

Roy cackles as he sits and then does a fake pout. He starts eating and can’t hide his grin after a bit. Ed eats slowly sitting across from Roy, trying consider his route. By the time he thinks he can start a conversation leading to his desired topic, they’re almost done with food. He sucks in a deep breath and starts to speak “um I-“

“When’s your lease up?” Roy asks suddenly, but calmly.

“What?” Ed asks, panicked, but also relieved.

“I was wondering when your lease was up. For your apartment? That place you haven’t been to in a month?” He teases.

“I think it’s up in about a month. I’m on a short because of how much I usually travel.” Ed thinking about how “usually” was months ago now, and how he hasn’t thought about his wonderlust much since staying over at Roy’s most nights. He thought about traveling with Roy, or Al or even Ling or something.

Ed reminds looks up from his now clean dinner plate, “I suppose I could find a place with a more long term lease now that I’m in Central all the time now.”

Roy gives him an odd look, “Why wouldn’t you move in with me?”

Ed stares blankly for a moment, not comprehending the question. When he does, he nearly chokes on air.

“Wh…. Wait…. _What?_ ” He looks around confused like the walls will somehow give him answers. This is not the conversation he was planning on having tonight at all. How the fuck did Roy do this to him?

“Well you practically live here now, so it would be ridiculous for you to move somewhere else. Plus I love having you to come home to. It’s nice for you as well, isn’t it?” Roy asks as if he’s asking which takeout sauce he wants. Like it’s obvious he wants sweet ‘n sour sauce, but he’s just making sure. Jesus fuck this is too much for Ed.

“Of course I fucking love being here. Do you think I’d make dinner for a bastard like you pretty much every single night if I didn’t want to? I do. So. I guess, I’ll just work on moving my stuff over then.” Ed is blushing harder and harder from the stress of not knowing what to say, but after his last words he picks up the plates and rushes over to drop them off in the sink.

He sees Roy over at the table smiling, probably coming up with a way to tease him about his blush. “Let’s go to the fucking living room, and you can read me your stupid book about stupid non-alchemy or whatever.” Ed says in a hurry.

Roy gets up and walks over to Ed who was now standing in the living room uncomfortably. “You don’t have to. I guess I just assumed.”

Ed turns to Roy and sighs a little settling into the topic with less panic than when they were at the table. “It’s not that at all, Roy. I just hadn’t really thought about it, I guess. Some other stuff has been on my mind, so I wasn’t really thinking about my living arrangements.”

He sighs again looking at Roy’s hands rather than his face because it’s easier. “I do like it here. Plus there’s a guest room for when Al or Winry come to visit… I guess I just didn’t think about if you’d want me here so…. Permanently.”

Roy laughs softly at that, and Ed finally looks at his face in mild confusion. “Of _course_ I want you here Ed.” Roy grabs Ed’s hands in both of his own. “I love you so fucking much.”

Ed’s brain short circuits.

He sucks in a deep breath and his eyes go wide, probably looking horrified, but he’s just shocked! How did this 360 happen without him having any control of the conversation at all, and what? This isn’t a conversation at all. He just blurted this information out. The audacity of this guy.

Roy’s been watching Ed’s minor panic attack for a minute, and finally says, “… Ed are you alright?”

Ed focuses on Roy again, suddenly pulls his hands away to say, “Um, yeah, just, you know. I’m really gonna get my ass kicked by Al when he gets back, and he sees that I fell in love with and moved in with my former CO all within the 8 months he was gone.” His cheeks were getting warm again. Dammit.

Roy smiles fondly at him, “Maybe you should write more letters to him. You know Ed, you can be terrible at communication.”

This makes Ed throw his arms up and finally sit on the couch and get comfortable. “You’re sure one to talk!”

And they bickered happily ever after.


End file.
